Control system of autonomous vehicle and control method thereof

ABSTRACT

A control system of an autonomous vehicle may include: a camera unit installed on a vehicle body, and configured to take an image of a pedestrian; a measurement unit installed on the vehicle body, and configured to measure a position of the pedestrian and a distance to the pedestrian; a control unit configured to receive data of the camera unit and the measurement unit; and an image irradiation unit configured to operate according to a control signal of the control unit, and irradiate light to one or more of the pedestrian and a road.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a control system and method of anautonomous vehicle, and more particularly, to a control system of anautonomous vehicle and a control method thereof, which can secure thesafety of a pedestrian, and enable a passenger to easily identify avehicle to get in.

In general, an autonomous vehicle refers to a vehicle that moves byitself even though a driver does not drive the vehicle.

A variety of techniques are required for an autonomous vehicle to moveby itself. In particular, advanced sensors capable of recognizingsurrounding objects and a high-performance graphic processing device areinstalled in an autonomous vehicle. The advanced sensor measures adistance between objects, and senses danger to enable a driver to seeall areas without a blind spot. The graphic processing device recognizesthe surrounding environment of the vehicle through a plurality ofcameras, and analyzes images to help the vehicle to stably operate.Furthermore, the graphic processing device may grasp the meanings ofvarious safety signs, or monitor whether a vehicle in front suddenlystops or a person or animal suddenly runs into a road.

Such an autonomous vehicle autonomously decides a traveling path byrecognizing the surrounding environment through various sensors, andindependently drives using its own power. Furthermore, a driver does notneed to care about a road condition, and the autonomous vehicle avoidsan obstacle by itself even though the obstacle suddenly appears, andautonomously drives to a destination while maintaining distances fromvehicles at the front and rear thereof.

However, there occurs an accident in which a pedestrian is hit andinjured by an autonomous vehicle in operation. Furthermore, since a usermay have difficulty in identifying an autonomous vehicle to get in, theuser's convenience may be degraded. Therefore, there is a demand for astructure capable of solving the problem.

The related art of the present invention is disclosed in Korean PatentPublication No. 2018-0115986 published on Oct. 24, 2018 and entitled“apparatus and method for autonomous driving control, vehicle system”.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a control system ofan autonomous vehicle and a control method thereof, which can secure thesafety of a pedestrian, and enable a passenger to easily identify avehicle to get in.

In one embodiment, a control system of an autonomous vehicle mayinclude: a camera unit installed on a vehicle body, and configured totake an image of a pedestrian; a measurement unit installed on thevehicle body, and configured to measure a position of the pedestrian anda distance to the pedestrian; a control unit configured to receive dataof the camera unit and the measurement unit; and an image irradiationunit configured to operate according to a control signal of the controlunit, and irradiate light to one or more of the pedestrian and a road.

The measurement unit may include: a position measurement unit configuredto measure the position of the pedestrian, and transfer the measuredvalue to the control unit; and a distance measurement unit configured tomeasure a distance between the pedestrian and the vehicle body, andtransfer the measured value to the control unit.

The image irradiation unit may include: a first irradiation unitconfigured to irradiate light to the lower side of the pedestrian; and asecond irradiation unit configured to irradiate an image onto thesurface of the road.

The control system may further include an image display unit installedat one or more of the front and side of the vehicle body, and configuredto inform the pedestrian of information as an image.

The control system may further include a side display unit installed ata side of the vehicle body, and configured to operate according to acontrol signal of the control unit and display a specific pattern ofimage to a target passenger.

The control system may further include a scanning unit configured toscan the body of the target passenger and transfer the scan result tothe control unit.

The control system may further include a guide irradiation unitinstalled on the vehicle body, and configured to irradiate light in alateral direction of the vehicle body in order to guide the targetpassenger to get in the vehicle.

In another embodiment, a control method of an autonomous vehicle mayinclude: a first measurement step in which a measurement unit isoperated to measure a position of a pedestrian and a distance betweenthe pedestrian and a vehicle body; a first irradiation step in which afirst irradiation unit is operated to form a hot spot zone byirradiating light to the lower side of the pedestrian, when the distancebetween the pedestrian and the vehicle body is within a first range; asecond measurement step in which a camera unit is operated to measurethe pedestrian; a second irradiation step in which the first irradiationunit is operated to form the hot spot zone and a guide line at the lowerside of the pedestrian, when the distance between the pedestrian and thevehicle body is within a second range; and a third irradiation step inwhich the first and second irradiation units are operated to provide animage related to road crossing to the pedestrian, when the distancebetween the pedestrian and the vehicle body is within a third distance.

The first range may be larger than the second range, and the secondrange may be larger than the third distance.

The second irradiation step may include forming the guide line byirradiating colorful light to the boundary of the road facing thepedestrian.

The third irradiation step may include displaying a warning image towarn the pedestrian against crossing the road, when a control unitreceiving the information of the measurement unit determines that thevehicle has precedence.

The warning image may include one or more of an image displayed on thesurface of the road and an image displayed on the front or side of thevehicle body.

The third irradiation step may include irradiating a rectangular frameonto the road surface at a stop position and then irradiating an imageonto the road facing the pedestrian to guide the pedestrian to cross theroad, when the control unit receiving the information of the measurementunit determines that the pedestrian has precedence.

In another embodiment, a control method of an autonomous vehicle mayinclude: a moving step in which a vehicle body moves toward a targetpassenger; a pattern display step of displaying a specific pattern ofimage to the target passenger through a side display unit; a stop stepin which the vehicle body stops in front of the target passenger; and anidentification step in which a scanning unit scans the body of thetarget passenger, and a control unit identifies the target passengerbased on information of the scanning unit.

The identification step may include scanning one or more of the palm,face and iris of the target passenger, and determining whether the scanresult coincides with information stored in a storage unit.

The control method may further include automatically opening a door,when authentication for the target passenger is passed at theidentification step.

In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, the controlsystem and the control method may help the autonomous vehicle and thepedestrian to recognize each other in a range from a long distance to ashort distance, and thus guide the pedestrian M1 to cross the road orstop the pedestrian from crossing the road, which makes it possible tosecure the safety of the pedestrian.

Furthermore, the autonomous vehicle may approach a passenger and informthe passenger that the autonomous vehicle is a vehicle to get in, usingthe side lighting of the autonomous vehicle. Furthermore, the autonomousvehicle may open/close a door and induce the passenger to get in thevehicle, using a lighting pattern, which makes it possible to improvethe convenience of the passenger.

Furthermore, when the pedestrian approaches the autonomous vehicle whichis autonomously driving, the control unit may analyze a camera sensorimage, determine the height and age of the pedestrian, and providecontents suitable for the pedestrian, thereby securing the safety of thepedestrian.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a control system of an autonomous vehicle inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the controlsystem of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention senses a pedestrian and irradiates ahot spot zone.

FIG. 4 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention is moving.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates a hot spot zone and aguide line toward a pedestrian.

FIG. 6 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates a guide line forpreventing a pedestrian from crossing a road.

FIG. 7 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates a guide line onto a stopposition.

FIG. 8 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention stops.

FIG. 9 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates an image for guiding apedestrian to cross a road.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a control systemof an autonomous vehicle in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention is moving toward a target passenger.

FIG. 12 illustrates that a specific pattern of image is displayed on theautonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 illustrates that a scanning unit in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention takes an image of a hand of a targetpassenger.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a control systemof an autonomous vehicle in accordance with still another embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention approaches a pedestrian.

FIG. 16 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention recognizes the height and age of apedestrian.

FIG. 17 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates an image suitable for apedestrian onto a road surface.

FIG. 18 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates an image suitable for anadult pedestrian onto a road surface.

FIG. 19 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates an image suitable for achild pedestrian onto a road surface.

FIG. 20 illustrates an image display unit of the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Hereafter, a control system and method of an autonomous vehicle inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be describedin detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should benoted that the drawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggeratedin thickness of lines or sizes of components for descriptive convenienceand clarity only.

Furthermore, the terms as used herein are defined by taking functions ofthe invention into account and can be changed according to the custom orintention of users or operators. Therefore, definition of the termsshould be made according to the overall disclosures set forth herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a control system of an autonomous vehicle inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is aflowchart illustrating a control method of the control system of theautonomous vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention, FIG. 3 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordancewith the embodiment of the present invention senses a pedestrian andirradiates a hot spot zone, FIG. 4 illustrates that the autonomousvehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention ismoving, FIG. 5 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordancewith the embodiment of the present invention irradiates a hot spot zoneand a guide line toward a pedestrian, FIG. 6 illustrates that theautonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention irradiates a guide line for preventing a pedestrian fromcrossing a road, FIG. 7 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention irradiates aguide line onto a stop position, FIG. 8 illustrates that the autonomousvehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the present inventionstops, and FIG. 9 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordancewith the embodiment of the present invention irradiates an image forguiding a pedestrian to cross a road.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 9, the control system 1 of the autonomousvehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention mayinclude a camera unit 10, a measurement unit 20, a control unit 30 andan image irradiation unit 40. The camera unit 10 may be installed on avehicle body 92 and take an image of a pedestrian M1. The measurementunit 20 may be installed on the vehicle body 92 and measure the positionof the pedestrian M1 and a distance from the pedestrian M1. The controlunit 30 may receive the data of the camera unit 10 and the measurementunit 20. The image irradiation unit 40 may operate according to acontrol signal of the control unit 30, and irradiate light onto any oneof the pedestrian M1 and a road L. The control system 1 of theautonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention may further include an image display unit 50, a side displayunit 60, a scanning unit 70, a guide irradiation unit 80 and a sensorunit 100.

The plurality of camera units 10 for taking images of the pedestrian M1may be installed on the vehicle body 92 of the autonomous vehicle 90.The plurality of camera units 10 may be installed around the vehiclebody 92, take images of the external conditions and the pedestrian M1,and transfer the taken images to the control unit 30.

The measurement unit 20 may be installed on the vehicle body 92, measurethe position of the pedestrian M1 ahead of the vehicle body 92 and thedistance from the pedestrian M1, and transfer the measured position anddistance to the control unit 30. The measurement unit 20 in accordancewith an embodiment may include a position measurement unit 22 and adistance measurement unit 24.

The position measurement unit 22 may measure the position of thepedestrian M1, and transfer the measured value to the control unit 30.The distance measurement unit 24 may measure the distance between thepedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92, and transfer the measured valueto the control unit 30. One or more of a LiDAR (Light Detection andRanging), radar and camera may be used as the position measurement unit22 and the distance measurement unit 24. In addition, variousmeasurement devices may be used as the position measurement unit 22 andthe distance measurement unit 24.

The control unit 30 may receive data of the camera unit 10, themeasurement unit 20, the scanning unit 70 and the sensor unit 100, andcontrol operations of the image irradiation unit 40, the image displayunit 50, the side display unit 60 and the guide irradiation unit 80.

The image irradiation unit 40 may operate according to a control signalof the control unit 30, and various irradiation devices may be used asthe image irradiation unit 40, as long as they can irradiate light ontoone or more of the pedestrian M1 and the road L. The image irradiationunit 40 in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention mayinclude first and second irradiation units 42 and 44. The firstirradiation unit 42 may irradiate light to the lower side of thepedestrian M1, and the second irradiation unit 44 may irradiate an imageonto the surface of the road L.

The first irradiation unit 42 may form a hot spot zone Z by irradiatinglight to the lower side of the pedestrian M1, such that the pedestrianM1 can be more reliably recognized. Even when there are a plurality ofpedestrians M1, the plurality of first irradiation units 42 mayindividually operate to form hot spot zones Z where light isconcentrated on the lower sides of the respective pedestrians M1. Thefirst irradiation unit 42 may also irradiate a guide line G1 to form ared circle around the feet of the first irradiation unit 42. For thisoperation, the first irradiation unit 42 may use various light sourcessuch as laser and lamp.

As the second irradiation unit 44, various types of irradiation devicesmay be used as long as they can irradiate an image onto the surface ofthe road L. The second irradiation unit 44 may be implemented with apanel or scanner for a micro display (MD) based on a projection scheme,such as a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) or LCOS (Liquid Crystal OnSilicon), or implemented with a panel using a direct projection scheme,such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or DMS (Digital MicroShutterDisplay).

The image display unit 50 may be installed on one or more of the frontand side surfaces of the vehicle body 92, and modified in variousmanners as long as the image display unit 50 can inform the pedestrianM1 of information as an image. The image display unit 50 in accordancewith an embodiment may be configured to display an image through an LEDor liquid crystal screen, and installed in such a manner that contentscan be identified even from a distance of about 30m. When a character isdisplayed through the image display unit 50 serving as a display at thefront of the vehicle, the image display unit 50 may have a verticallength of 150 mm or more. However, the image display unit 50 is notlimited thereto, but modified in various sizes.

The side display unit 60 may be installed at the side surface of thevehicle body 92, and operated to display a specific pattern of image toa target passenger M2 according to a control signal of the control unit30. Thus, the target passenger M2 may easily recognize the vehicle toget in. The side display unit 60 in accordance with an embodiment may beconfigured to output a specific pattern of image using a lighting, andmodified in various manners. For example, a separate liquid crystalpanel or optical fiber may be installed to output a specific pattern.

The scanning unit 70 may scan the body of the target passenger M2, andtransfer the scan result to the control unit 30. The scanning unit 70may take an image of a part of the target passenger M2, such as theface, iris, fingerprint or palm, by which the target passenger M2 can bespecified, and transfer the taken image to the control unit 30. Thus, adoor of the autonomous vehicle 90 can be opened without a separate smartkey or the like.

The guide irradiation unit 80 may be installed at a side surface and thelike of the vehicle body 92, and irradiate light onto the ground surfaceat the lateral bottom of the vehicle body 92 in order to guide thetarget passenger M2 to get in the vehicle. The guide irradiation unit 80in accordance with an embodiment may irradiate belt-shaped light ontothe road L facing the side surface of the vehicle body 92, in order toguide the target passenger M2 to get in the vehicle.

The sensor unit 100 may be installed on the vehicle body 92, sense thepedestrian M1, take an image of the pedestrian M1, and transfer thesensing result and the taken image to the control unit 30. The sensorunit 100 may include one or more of a camera, laser and LiDAR. Thesensor unit 100 may measure the height and position of the pedestrianM1, take an image of the pedestrian M1, and transfer the measured valuesand the taken image to the control unit 30, and the control unit 30 maydetermine the type of the pedestrian M1 based on the informationmeasured through the sensor unit 100. Specifically, the control unit 30may determine whether the pedestrian M1 is an adult, child or old man.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the control method of the controlsystem 1 of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention may include a first measurement step S10 in whichthe measurement unit 20 is operated to measure the position of thepedestrian M1 and a distance from the pedestrian M1.

The position measurement unit 22 installed in the control system 1 ofthe autonomous vehicle may be operated to measure the position of thepedestrian M1, and the distance measurement unit 24 may be operated tomeasure a distance between the pedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92.Through the operation of the measurement unit 20, a target at a longdistance can be recognized.

When the distance between the pedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92 iswithin a first range L1, the first irradiation unit 42 may be operatedto irradiate light to the lower side of the pedestrian M1, therebyforming a hot spot zone Z, at a first irradiation step S20.

When the distance between the pedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92 iswithin the first range L1, the image irradiation unit 40 may be operatedto irradiate light to the pedestrian M1 or around the pedestrian M1,thereby forming the hot spot zone Z. Thus, the pedestrian M1 can beeasily recognized.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the camera unit 10 may be operatedto identify the pedestrian M1 at a second measurement step S30. Themeasured value of the camera unit 10 may be transferred to the controlunit 30, and the control unit 30 may determine whether an objectrecognized as the pedestrian M1 through image recognition is a person.At this time, since the light irradiated from the image irradiation unit40 is irradiated to the pedestrian M1, the camera unit 10 may recognizethe object more clearly. When lighting is sufficiently secured as in thedaytime, rays capable of specifying an object may be irradiated to thepedestrian M1. Thus, the camera unit 10 can recognize the object moreclearly.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, when the distance between thepedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92 is within a second range L2, thefirst irradiation unit 42 may be operated to form a hot spot zone Z anda guide line G2 at the lower side of the pedestrian M1 at a secondirradiation step S40. At the second irradiation step S40, the firstirradiation unit 42 may form the guide line G2 by irradiating colorfullight to the boundary between the pedestrian M1 and the road L facingthe pedestrian M1.

Since the red guide line G2 is extended along the boundary between thesidewalk and the road L facing the pedestrian M1, the red guide line G2may warn the pedestrian M1 against crossing the road L withoutpermission.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, when the distance between thepedestrian M1 and the vehicle body 92 becomes shorter than a thirddistance L3, the first and second irradiation units 42 and 44 may beoperated to provide the pedestrian M1 with an image related to roadcrossing at a third irradiation step S50.

When the control unit 30 receiving the information of the measurementunit 20 determines that the vehicle has precedence over the pedestrianM1 at the third irradiation step, the first and second irradiation units42 and 44 may display a contents image C1 to warn the pedestrian M1against crossing the road L. At this time, the control unit 30 maydetermine which of the vehicle and the pedestrian has precedence,through various methods. For example, the control unit 30 may receive asignal of a signal device installed on the road and determine which ofthe vehicle and the pedestrian has precedence. Alternatively, thecontrol unit 30 may determine which of the vehicle and the pedestrianhas precedence, based on a traffic signal taken through the camera unit10.

The warning image may be displayed on the surface of the road L ordisplayed on the front or side surface of the vehicle body 92. Thecontents image C1 in accordance with an embodiment may be mainlydisplayed on the road L, but modified in various manners. For example,the contents image C1 may be displayed on the road L and the outside ofthe vehicle body 92 at the same time. When the vehicle has precedence, aspecific pictogram or text may be displayed to warn the pedestrian M1against crossing the road L. At this time, sound may also be outputted.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, when the control unit 30 receivingthe information of the measurement unit 20 determines that thepedestrian M1 has precedence at the third irradiation step, the vehiclemay irradiate a guide line G3 having a rectangular frame shape onto theroad surface at a stop position, and then stop ahead of the pedestrianM1 as illustrated in FIG. 8. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the vehicle mayirradiate a contents image C2 onto the road L facing the pedestrian M1,the contents image C2 guiding the pedestrian M1 to cross the road L.

That is, when the pedestrian M1 has precedence in the case that thevehicle body 92 reaches a position at a third distance L3 from thepedestrian M1, the image irradiation unit 40 may irradiate therectangular frame-shaped guide line G3 at a stop position of theautonomous vehicle 90.

Then, the vehicle may stop after displaying one or more of a pictogram,text and sound on the road L1 facing the pedestrian M1.

The second range L2 may be larger than the third distance L3, and thefirst range L1 may be larger than the second range L2. That is, thelower limit of the second range L2 may be larger than the third distanceL3, and the lower limit of the first range L1 may be larger than theupper limit of the second range L2. In an embodiment, the intermediatevalue of the first range L1 may be set to 150 m, the intermediate valueof the second range L2 may be set to 100 m, and the third distance L3may be set to 50 m. However, the present invention is not limitedthereto, but the values may be varied depending on conditions.

Hereafter, a control method of a control system 1 of an autonomousvehicle in accordance with another embodiment of the present inventionwill be described with reference to the drawings.

For convenience of description, components which are configured andoperated in the same manner as those of the above-described embodimentmay be represented by like reference numerals, and the detaileddescriptions thereof will omitted herein.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a control systemof an autonomous vehicle in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention, FIG. 11 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention is moving towarda target passenger, FIG. 12 illustrates that a specific pattern of imageis displayed on the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodimentof the present invention, and FIG. 13 illustrates that a scanning unitin accordance with the embodiment of the present invention takes animage of a hand of a target passenger.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 13, the autonomous vehicle 90 may movetoward a target passenger M2 and inform the target passenger M2 that theautonomous vehicle 90 is a vehicle to get in, through a lighting of theside display unit 60 of the vehicle. Furthermore, the autonomous vehicle90 may open/close a door and induce the target passenger M2 to get inthe vehicle, through a lighting pattern, which makes it possible toimprove the convenience of the passenger.

The control method of the control system 1 of the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention may include amoving step S100 in which the vehicle body 92 moves toward the targetpassenger M2. The target passenger M2 may send a signal to theautonomous vehicle 90 using a smart phone or smart watch, and call theautonomous vehicle 90 through other various methods. Then, theautonomous vehicle 90 may move toward the target passenger M2.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the vehicle may display a specific pattern ofimage to the target passenger M2 through the side display unit 60 at apattern display step S110. Since an individualized pattern lighting isdisplayed on the exterior of the vehicle, the target passenger M2 mayrecognize that the autonomous vehicle 90 is a vehicle which the targetpassenger M2 will get in.

The vehicle body 92 of the autonomous vehicle 90 may stop in front ofthe target passenger M2 at a stop step S120.

Then, the control unit 30 may scan the body of the target passenger M2through the scanning unit 70, and then identify the target passenger M2based on the information of the scanning unit 70, at an identificationstep S130. At the identification step, the control unit 30 may scan oneor more of the palm, face and iris of the target passenger M2, anddetermine whether the scanned information coincides with informationstored in a storage unit. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 13, thetarget passenger M2 may add a hand gesture to a pattern displayed on theside display unit 60 after the vehicle stops, in order to specify thetarget passenger M2. Alternatively, the control unit 30 may recognizethe face of the target passenger M2 through the scanning unit 70installed in the control system 1 of the autonomous vehicle, in order tospecify the target passenger M2.

When the authentication for the target passenger M2 passes at theidentification step, a door may be automatically opened at an openingstep S140. Although the lighting of the side display unit 60 installedat the side surface of the vehicle body 92 is mainly operated, the guideirradiation unit 80 may be operated to irradiate guide light onto theroad surface at the door, and guide the target passenger M2 to get inthe vehicle.

Hereafter, a control method of a control system 1 of an autonomousvehicle in accordance with still another embodiment of the presentinvention will be described with reference to the drawings.

For convenience of description, components which are configured andoperated in the same manner as those of the above-described embodimentmay be represented by like reference numerals, and the detaileddescriptions thereof are omitted herein.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a control systemof an autonomous vehicle in accordance with still another embodiment ofthe present invention, FIG. 15 illustrates that the autonomous vehiclein accordance with the embodiment of the present invention approaches apedestrian, FIG. 16 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with the embodiment of the present invention recognizes theheight and age of a pedestrian, FIG. 17 illustrates that the autonomousvehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the present inventionirradiates an image suitable for a pedestrian onto a road surface, FIG.18 illustrates that the autonomous vehicle in accordance with theembodiment of the present invention irradiates an image suitable for anadult pedestrian onto a road surface, FIG. 19 illustrates that theautonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention irradiates an image suitable for a child pedestrian onto aroad surface, and FIG. 20 illustrates an image display unit of theautonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 20, the control method of the controlsystem 1 of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention may analyze images of the camera unit 10 and thesensor unit 100 when a pedestrian M1 approaches the vehicle which isautonomously driving, and provide contents suitable for the pedestrianM1, thereby preventing a safety accident.

As illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, the control method of the controlsystem 1 of the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the embodiment ofthe present invention may include a recognition step S200 of sensing thepedestrian M1 through the sensor unit 100. The presence or absence ofthe pedestrian M1 in front of the autonomous vehicle 90 may bedetermined by the camera unit 10 and the measurement unit 20, and one ormore pieces of information of the camera unit 10, the measurement unit20 and the sensor unit 100 may be transferred to the control unit 30.

The control unit 30 may determine the type of the pedestrian M1 based onthe information measured through the sensor unit 100 at a pedestriandetermination step S210. The control unit 30 may classify the type ofthe pedestrian M1 into an adult, old man or child, through imageanalysis.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, an image suitable for the type of thepedestrian M1 may be irradiated onto the road L at an image irradiationstep S220. Through the image display unit 50 and the image irradiationunit 40 which are installed at the front of the autonomous vehicle 90,contents may be displayed on the road surface. At this time, sound maybe combined.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, when the pedestrian M1 is an adult, acontents image C2 may be displayed in the form of a crosswalk on thesurface of the road L, and an image of a person and arrow may bedisplayed on the image display unit 50.

When the pedestrian M1 is a child as illustrated in FIG. 19, graphicsuch as a pictogram suitable for inducing a moving line of the child maybe utilized rather than a character, and footprint-shaped sequentialanimation may be displayed as a contents image C3.

When the pedestrian M1 is an old man, the size of the displayed graphiccontents may be raised by 50%, and the volume of the sound may beraised.

In accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, the controlsystem and the control method may help the autonomous vehicle 90 and thepedestrian M1 to recognize each other in a range from a long distance toa short distance, and thus guide the pedestrian M1 to cross the road Lor stop the pedestrian M1 from crossing the road L, which makes itpossible to secure the safety of the pedestrian M1. Furthermore, theautonomous vehicle 90 may approach a passenger and inform the passengerthat the autonomous vehicle 90 is a vehicle to get in, using the sidelighting of the autonomous vehicle 90. Furthermore, the autonomousvehicle 90 may open/close a door and induce the passenger to get in thevehicle, using a lighting pattern, which makes it possible to improvethe convenience of the passenger. Furthermore, when the pedestrian M1approaches the autonomous vehicle which is autonomously driving, thecontrol unit 30 may analyze a camera sensor image, determine the heightand age of the pedestrian M1, and provide contents suitable for thepedestrian M1, thereby securing the safety of the pedestrian M1.Furthermore, the control unit 30 may analyze the image of the cameraunit 10 and the sensor unit 100 during autonomous driving, specify theposition, distance, height, age or walking speed of the pedestrian M1,and display contents suitable for the pedestrian M1, which makes itpossible to secure the safety.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed forillustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in theaccompanying claims.

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A control method of an autonomous vehicle,comprising: a first measurement step in which a measurement unit isoperated to measure a position of a pedestrian and a distance betweenthe pedestrian and a vehicle body; a first irradiation step in which afirst irradiation unit is operated to form a hot spot zone byirradiating light to the lower side of the pedestrian, when the distancebetween the pedestrian and the vehicle body is within a first range; asecond measurement step in which a camera unit is operated to measurethe pedestrian; a second irradiation step in which the first irradiationunit is operated to form the hot spot zone and a guide line at the lowerside of the pedestrian, when the distance between the pedestrian and thevehicle body is within a second range; and a third irradiation step inwhich the first and second irradiation units are operated to provide animage related to road crossing to the pedestrian, when the distancebetween the pedestrian and the vehicle body is within a third distance.9. The control method of claim 8, wherein the first range is larger thanthe second range, and the second range is larger than the thirddistance.
 10. The control method of claim 8, wherein the secondirradiation step comprises forming the guide line by irradiatingcolorful light to the boundary of the road facing the pedestrian. 11.The control method of claim 8, wherein the third irradiation stepcomprises displaying a warning image to warn the pedestrian againstcrossing the road, when a control unit receiving the information of themeasurement unit determines that the vehicle has precedence.
 12. Thecontrol method of claim 11, wherein the warning image comprises one ormore of an image displayed on the surface of the road and an imagedisplayed on the front or side of the vehicle body.
 13. The controlmethod of claim 8, wherein the third irradiation step comprisesirradiating a rectangular frame onto the road surface at a stop positionand then irradiating an image onto the road facing the pedestrian toguide the pedestrian to cross the road, when the control unit receivingthe information of the measurement unit determines that the pedestrianhas precedence.
 14. A control method of an autonomous vehicle,comprising: a moving step in which a vehicle body moves toward a targetpassenger; a pattern display step of displaying a specific pattern ofimage to the target passenger through a side display unit; a stop stepin which the vehicle body stops in front of the target passenger; and anidentification step in which a scanning unit scans the body of thetarget passenger, and a control unit identifies the target passengerbased on information of the scanning unit.
 15. The control method ofclaim 14, wherein the identification step comprises scanning one or moreof the palm, face and iris of the target passenger, and determiningwhether the scan result coincides with information stored in a storageunit.
 16. The control method of claim 14, further comprisingautomatically opening a door, when authentication for the targetpassenger is passed at the identification step.